Fasting: Not Just About Food

June 15th, 2007

By Julie Robertson

I love to fast. In the midst of the chaos that is my life, regular fasting convicts and challenges me and provides me with clarity that is hard to come by any other way.

I love to fast. In the midst of the chaos that is my life, regular fasting convicts and challenges me and provides me with clarity that is hard to come by any other way.

Let me be honest with you. I haven’t always felt this way. I used to find myself with the majority of Christians in my belief that fasting was just “not for me” or that I didn’t have the physical capacity to participate in this particular discipline. But the fact of the matter is we don’t get to just pick and choose which disciplines we practice and which we don’t. Fasting is for everyone, just like prayer, study, solitude, service, and the countless others. Some may come more naturally than others, but it doesn’t mean we are any less called to all of them. If you need some convincing, read Matthew 6:16-18. Pay close attention to the first three words.[1]

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

I know all, if not all, the fasting excuses; I’ve used them myself. Here’s a list. Fasting is “archaic.” It’s only for “fantatics.” I can’t fast because of “health reasons.” It’s “not for me.”

Fasting is as important today as it was to the people of the Old and New Testaments and to early Christians. It has not lost its importance in the least. In fact, you might say it is all the more important to people like us whose lives are filled with noise. Fasting is a departure from everyday distractions. The practice serves both to expose what binds us and to free us to be bound to Christ.

It is hard to write an article about fasting because it is difficult to explain “how to” fast. I am a firm believer that it is different for every person. All I can offer here are some ideas of what has worked for me and what has worked for the communion of saints that have gone before us.

One of the most incredible things I found in my studies about fasting was the idea that fasting is not just about food. I used to avoid fasting because all I would think about while I was fasting was how hungry I was. Missing the point big time! While I do believe that fasting from food has merits (and is biblical), I do not think fasting is limited to food only. In fact, the majority of the fasting I participate in and benefit from is a fast from other things.

In my reading, I came across a story from Catherine Marshall. Marshall authored several books (Christy, Julie, and others), and was the wife of notable preacher Peter Marshall. The story recounts her experiences with fasting, specifically, fasting from criticism. I thought this was an odd thing to fast from, so I decided to read her thoughts. What I found was a challenging testimonial that sent me on a quest to do the same and to determine what God might be asking me to fast from in my own life. That quest changed my view on fasting.

I no longer simply avoid fasting or only fast from food. I regularly fast from music in my car, words, media, and other things. I cannot express in words how beneficial this has been for my heart and my relationship with God and others. Times of fasting from food or otherwise have been some of the most centered times in my life.

There’s not much else to say about fasting here. What you need to know about fasting can only really be learned through experience. Go ahead. Fast from music. Fast from media. Fast from food. Fast from fear. Fast from __________. It doesn’t matter what “it” is as long as you fast.

To borrow from Dallas Willard, fasting in its purest form is nothing more than a confirmation of our “utter dependence upon God by finding in him a source of sustenance” beyond all other things (The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives).

“O Holy Spirit of God, abide with us; inspire all our thoughts; pervade our imaginations; suggest all our decisions; order all our doings. Be with us in our silence and in our speech, in our haste and in our leisure, in company and in solitude, in the freshness of the morning and in the weariness of the evening; and give us grace at all times humbly to rejoice in Thy mysterious companionship.” – John Baillie

[1] In most versions Matthew 6:16 has been translated, “When you fast…”. For more thoughts on fasting, read Isaiah 58:6-14 (particularly, The Message translation).

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